A report by the federal Government Accountability Office, announced Wednesday by the Special Senate Committee on Aging, indicates that while elder abuse is a problem and a patchwork of steps are being taken at the state level, its true extent is unknown.
But in Maine, at least, the number of known cases have skyrocketed.
“In the past 12 months, LSE assisted 260 victims of elder abuse. This is up 24 percent from the prior year,” says Jaye Martin, executive director of Legal Services for the Elderly in Augusta, speaking before the panel Wednesday.
Martin says her organization has been asked to investigate drained savings accounts, the loss of homes, destroyed credit and abused powers of attorney on behalf of Maine seniors.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the panel, told Martin it sounds like there’s good news and bad news.
“The good news is that people are starting to report these cases,” she says. “The bad news is it’s probably the tip of the iceberg.”
Martin says probably only 1 percent of senior abuse and fraud cases are being reported.
The hearing is likely the last the committee will hold during the 114th Congress. Meanwhile, Collins continues to push for passage of the Senior Safe Act, which she says will help address elder abuse.
